Make Course Materials More Affordable

Welcome, De Anza faculty! This hub is designed to support your work in making course materials more affordable, accessible and meaningful for students.

Here you’ll find resources to help you explore Open Educational Resources (OER), develop or convert courses to Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) or Low Textbook Cost (LTC), understand licensing and accessibility, locate library and open materials, and connect with campus support.

Submit a Fall 2026 ZTC or LTC Adoption

Current form: Fall 2026. The adoption survey is refreshed each quarter and normally opens during the fourth week of the prior quarter. Contact the OER Coordinator if the term shown here is no longer current.

  • ZTC

    At De Anza College, Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) course materials may include Open Educational Resources (OER), library-licensed materials available to all enrolled students, and other course materials that students can access at no cost.

    Faculty using ZTC materials should ensure that all course content meets copyright, accessibility, and acceptable use requirements, including relevant district policies such as BP/AP 5031, BP 6140, and others.

    Faculty who have questions about selecting, adopting or verifying ZTC materials are encouraged to contact the De Anza College OER Coordinator, James Adams; the Library; and/or the Bookstore for guidance.

  • LTC

    At De Anza College, Low Textbook Cost (LTC) sections are courses where the total purchase cost of required instructional materials from the Bookstore is $50 or less for students.

    Required materials may include textbooks, digital course materials, lab manuals, workbooks or other resources students must purchase for the course. In some cases, other discounted digital materials may qualify as LTC, as long as the total required cost does not exceed the $50 threshold.

    Faculty should review all required course materials before marking a section as LTC to ensure the total student cost is accurate. Courses with no required textbook cost should be identified as ZTC rather than LTC.

    For questions about LTC designation, textbook reporting or affordable course material options, De Anza faculty are encouraged to contact the OER Coordinator, James Adams; the  Library; and/or the Bookstore.

Get Started in Five Steps

1. Choose the designation

Open Educational Resources (OER) are free teaching, learning and research materials that faculty can use, adapt and share to support student learning.

OER may be in the public domain or shared with an open license, such as a Creative Commons license, that allows others to use the material at no cost.

With OER, Faculty May Use the 5 Rs:

Retain

Make, download, save and keep copies of the material.

Reuse

Use the material in a class, assignment, Canvas course, presentation or other teaching context.

Revise

Adapt, update, translate or modify the material to better fit your course outcomes and students’ needs.

Remix

Combine OER with your own content or other openly licensed materials to create something new.

Redistribute

Share the original, revised or remixed material with students, colleagues or the broader education community.

If you are looking to remix an OER text(s) and/or make your current course reader OER or ZTC, contact OER Coordinator, James Adams: adamsjames@deanza.edu.

2. Find materials

Finding OER — Our Top Picks

There are many searchable websites that categorize and review Open Educational Resources. Here are some of the best places to start your search:

You can browse by course if you know its C-ID on their website or use the accordion below to find your discipline.

Biological, Health, And Environmental Sciences

Business, Computer Science, and Applied Technologies

Career Technical Education and Workforce Development

Counseling

Creative Arts

Equity & Engagement

Have suggestions on related disciplines? Please let James Perla-Adams know.

Intercultural and International Studies

Online Education and Learning Resources

Language Arts

Physical education and Athletics

Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering

Social Sciences and Humanities

Additional OER Resources

These are some other free and open textbooks and course materials (multiple subjects). You can always also try an online search with "OER reviews" plus your discipline to find relevant resources.

3. Evaluate the resource

Check alignment with course outcomes, accuracy, cultural relevance, accessibility, format, licensing and reliable student access. Verify that library-licensed or third-party materials will remain available to every enrolled student.

4. Build the course

Link or integrate materials in Canvas, provide clear access instructions and include attribution required by the resource's license. Contact the OER Coordinator, James Adams (adamsjames@deanza.edu), for help with LibreTexts, adaptation or creation.

5. Report the adoption

Submit the current quarterly adoption form so the correct ZTC or LTC label can appear in the schedule. Recheck costs and required materials whenever a course or section changes.

Have Questions? Contact the Team!

Considering creating a new OER? Contact James Adams.

Want to create a a ZTC pathway for your department? Contact Shagun Kaur.

James Perla-Adams

ZTC/OER Coordinator
adamsjames@deanza.edu

Amy Leonard

ASCCC OERI Liaison
leonardamy@deanza.edu

Shagun Kaur

ZTC Grants Coordinator
kaurshagun@deanza.edu

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